The Unknowns
by Ryn Turner
Summary: An unknown element starts to effect the crew, in a romantic way.... *Chapter 4 up!!!* This one's even shorter, my plot bunny's abandoned me, ideas would be appreciated.....
1. Introduction

The shuttlepod entered the bay, its nose touching down first, followed by the rest of it. Someone opened the door, and two people stepped out.  
  
Jonathon Archer approached them from his previous vantage point. "Good job out there guys!" he said, smiling at them.  
  
"Thank you, Captain." Hoshi said, a hint of a blush on her face.  
  
"The mission went as planned." said T'Pol unemotionally, closing the door to the shuttle. She moved over next to Hoshi, facing the captain.  
  
"You two can go. I'll debrief you in the morning. Once again, good job down there."  
  
The two women turned and left the bay, leaving Archer alone. He stood there only a few moments, contemplating something unknown before he left as well.  
  
The bay sat devoid of human life, silent. If someone had been there, they would have noticed that the exhaust vents on the shuttlepod were still open. They also would have seen the odorless green gas that escaped from it, and disappeared into Enterprise's vents... 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: None of the characters and/or settings are mine, they all belong to Paramount. Please don't sue me! I have no money!  
  
*I've taken part of my plot from an old TOS episode. I hope y'all will like it, since I sure do!*  
  
  
  
Trip sat happily in the mess hall, munching quietly on his catfish dinner. "Ya sure ya don't want some?" he asked Malcolm, who was seated across from him. He waited for Malcolm's response, but none came.  
  
"Hello?" Trip said. "Anyone there?"  
  
Malcolm shook himself out of his reverie. "Oh, sorry Trip, I wasn't listening." He then quickly looked over his shoulder.  
  
"Whatcha looking at?" Trip asked, following Malcolm's line of sight.  
  
What Trip saw made him laugh. "So, ya like Hoshi then?"  
  
Malcolm quickly turned back around. "No!" he said, quite loud. "No." he repeated again, softer.  
  
Trip looked confused. "Then why are ya looking at her so often?"  
  
Malcolm took a deep breath, then sighed. "Promise not to tell?" he asked his friend.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I think she's stalking me."  
  
Trip burst out in laughter, causing him to choke momentarily on the piece of catfish he had in his mouth. After he had recovered he turned back to Malcolm. "That's the funniest thing ah ever heard!"  
  
"I knew you wouldn't take it seriously." Malcolm said, looking annoyed.  
  
"Okay, okay. What makes you think she's stalking you?"  
  
"Well," Malcolm started, "It started when she and the Sub-Commander returned from that away mission a few days ago. She started following me around, and finding excuses all the time to talk to me. It's getting bloody annoying!"  
  
Trip thought about it for a moment, then replied, "Maybe she's just teasing you."  
  
"No, I don't think so, she's-" Malcolm stopped abruptly in the middle of his sentence. "Oh god, here she comes now! Sorry Trip, I've gotta go!" With that, Malcolm pushed back his chair and quickly walked out of the mess hall, Hoshi calling after him.  
  
Trip, utterly puzzled about what had just happened, quickly gulped down the rest of his catfish and opted to go see the captain.  
  
*~*  
  
Was everyone going crazy?! These were Trip's thoughts as he walked down the hall to the turbolift. He saw two crewmen arguing over nothing, two others kissing near the mess hall and a fight near the turbolift. He had broken up the argument and fight, and told the two kissing to get back to work. Luckily, everyone still listening to authority.  
  
Right before he entered the turbolift, he heard someone whisper his name. "Psst, Trip! Over here!"  
  
He looked over to see Malcolm hiding behind a bend in the hallway.  
  
"Malcolm?! What the hell are ya doing?!"  
  
"Is she gone?? Is it safe??"  
  
"Hoshi's not here. Now c'mon, ya got duties to attend to."  
  
"But she'll be on the bridge!" Malcolm hissed.  
  
Trip walked over and yanked the lieutenant to his feet. "Get a hold of yerself! Now c'mon!" He yanked him into the turbolift and headed for the bridge.  
  
*The next installment should be soon, since I'm having loads of fun with this!" 


	3. Chapter 2

Captain Archer sat calmly on the bridge, although nothing else around him was. Hoshi wasn't at her post, Travis was reading a book at his station, Malcolm was nowhere to be seen and T'Pol seemed to be muttering to herself. He was prepared to haul them all down to sickbay, but just at that moment Trip stepped out of the turbolift, hauling a nervous Malcolm in front of him.  
  
"Lieutenant Reed. Your station awaits you."  
  
Malcolm meekly headed over to his station, leaving Trip and Archer together.  
  
"What the hell's going on, Cap'n?! Has the entire ship gone crazy?!"  
  
Archer sighed. "I was actually just on my way down to sickbay to talk to the doctor about it." He then turned to face his science officer. "T'Pol."  
  
"Yes Captain?" she asked, turning away from her post.  
  
"You have the bridge." he said, standing up and heading towards the turbolift with Trip.  
  
That's when It happened.  
  
Archer couldn't believe his eyes. His ship had gone crazy! His logical, unemotional science officer had just battered her eyelashes at Trip! Then she smiled at him.  
  
Trip almost fainted. //What the hell is going on here?!!!// He quickly moved to the tubolift and entered it.  
  
"C'mon Jon! Let's go!"  
  
Archer swiftly followed him in and headed to sickbay.  
  
*~*  
  
Trip had gone down to Engineering. Apparently, there were some *incidents* down there.  
  
Archer entered sickbay to find several crewmen occupying the biobeds. They all had injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to a broken arm.  
  
He was about to yell out for Phlox, but was interrupted by just the man he was looking for.  
  
"Ah, Captain! May I have a word with you?"  
  
Archer just nodded.  
  
Phlox led them to his small office. The doctor sat down, but Archer opted to stand.  
  
"What's happening to my people, doctor?" Archer started off.  
  
"Well, Captain, I have formed an explanation. Would you like to hear it?"  
  
"By all means."  
  
"When Ensign Sato and Sub-Commander T'Pol when down to Kulyia for the trade negotiations with the Limati, they seem to have brought something else with them, a virus. It is in the form of an odorless green gas, spread by airborne inhalation. It is not deadly, but does have some *interesting* side effects."  
  
"Like what?" Archer asked impatiently.  
  
"Well, the virus affects the emotions of the species it attacks. For example, if Crewman A was subconsciously attracted to Crewman B, A would suddenly find B irresistible. In another example, A could unknowingly dislike B, and that would lead to a fight."  
  
"So it plays on already existing relationships? Feelings we have for certain people?"  
  
"Exactly. So far, the only people that haven't been affected are myself and Porthos, because our genetic makeup is immensely different from yours. I don't know how long it will be until it mutates to affect us. In the meantime, I'm working on an antidote, but I don't know how long it'll take me."  
  
"So in the meantime, I'm supposed to let my crew go crazy?!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Archer sighed. "All right. Hurry with that antidote."  
  
"I will."  
  
Archer swiftly turned and left sickbay. 


	4. Chapter 3

Everyone had gone crazy. Engineering was a nuthouse, with people fighting, bickering, flirting, the whole works. Not a single damn thing was getting done, and that annoyed the hell out of him. He tended to be a perfectionist when it came to his engines, and this madhouse couldn't repair a doghouse right now, let alone take care of the ship! 

He kept racing back between stations, pushing past people and yelling constantly. He couldn't take it, and that's when he decided to leave and go back to his quarters.

He yelled out to his people that they were all dismissed, and left Engineering. The hallways outside were also filled with emotionally unstable personnel, so Trip made it a priority to get to his quarters ASAP.

He turned a corner quite quickly and ran right into Malcolm Reed.

"Malcolm! What the hell are you doing!?"

The armory officer was holding a phase pistol in his hands and camouflage clothing. 

"She's after me Trip... I've got to protect myself!"

"Gimme that!" Trip said, wrestling the pistol out of Malcolm's hands. "I swear, this just gets crazier and crazier. Now, you get back to your quarters and stay there!"

"Yes sir..." Malcolm mumbled meekly. "But what if she comes back! I'll be at her mercy!"

Trip shook his head and started to walk off. "All the better."

***************

He finally reached his quarters. Malcolm was not the only paranoid crewman he saw. He found several others creeping about, hiding from some other person. 

But now he was safe, back at his own quarters. He punched in the security code and stepped inside.

"What the hell...!" he said.

Candles lined the shelves and small desk in his room. The room was dimly lit, and flower petals covered the floor.

"Ok, this isn't funny!"

Someone stepped out of the washroom. "It is not a joke, Charles."

"T-T'Pol?!!"

Yes, it was T'Pol, at least it looked like T'Pol! The reason Trip doubted this was because she was dressed in only a short, white dress.

Trip backed up, embarrassed and slightly frightened. "Um, yes, well, I'll be leavin' now..." He slowly made his way back towards the door.

T'Pol slinked over to him. "No Charles, stay here... with me..." She smiled at him seductively.

"Um, well, I can't, ya see there's a problem... somewhere... and they need me... nice talkin' to ya..." He turned and bolted into the hall, the door swiftly closing behind him. He ran down the corridor, heading for nowhere, just far away from his quarters.

//Now I know how Malcolm feels!// he thought to himself as he ran.


	5. Chapter 4

Trip turned a corner, looking behind him for T'Pol, and ran right into Captain Archer. Trip fell back onto the floor as Archer braced himself against the wall.

"Sorry Jon," Trip said as he got up, "I wasn't lookin-"

He was cut off as Archer punched him in the face.

Trip wasn't prepared, so he took the full blow and stumbled backwards. "What the hell?! What's wrong with you!" he exclaimed, gingerly rubbing where Archer had hit him.

"She was mine!" Archer replied, winding up for another punch.

Trip saw it coming this time and ducked, stepping to the side while he did it. Archer stumbled forwards when his fist didn't meet it's mark and collided with a bulkhead.

"Who, Jon?! T'Pol?! 'Cause I swear, there's nothing between us!" Trip exclaimed as he watched the Captain recover.

"Then why did I see her going into your quarters! I thought you were my friend, you bastard!" Archer came forwards with his fists up, ready to fight.

"I'm not going to fight you, Jon." Trip said, moving back for every step Archer took towards him.

"Well, I'm gonna fight you, so you best be ready for it!"

Trip decided that he had to get out of there as fast as he could, so he waited until Archer was close enough, ducked under his punch and sprinted down the hallway.

"Get back here, you coward!" Trip heard Archer call out.

He kept running.


End file.
